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The four stages of a bad seminar:

I got two emails this summer, from irs.gov they said, telling me there were messages in my PTIN secure mailbox and to click the link to log in. I went to irs.gov directly, not using the link, logged in, and there were no messages. Scary part of this is that the return address was dot-gov, not the do-com we've been warned about. How do they do this? We know criminals can spoof caller IDs on the phone, but I didn't know it was possible with internet addresses. (PS, I recently got a message from irs.gov telling me it's time to renew my PTIN, but it just told me to go to their site to log on and didn't provide a link. That one is legitimate I assume.)

I am not happy the Cubs ruined the even number magic from my Giants...... This just proves that anything can happen. Does that mean Trump can be elected as President as well? The Cubs winning the World Series qualifies as "stranger things have happened" Judy is going to give me a black mark for this post going political, but I still think it is funny. Go hit your delete button Judy... Tom Newark, CA

I used Checkpoint Learning for several years and subscribed to their unlimited CPE that offers online classes as well as webinars. Most of the webinar presenters were great and you could type in a question and they would respond to you on a first name basis. Last year I switched to CPE Solutions which also offer online courses and webinars. Some of their webinar presenters are also outstanding. Another feature I like is they record the webinars and they are available on demand at a later date. That is great if you miss one you are really interested in. My state also has the 80 / 20 requirement and I'll confess I am usually catching up as the June 30 reporting date comes around. Trying to keep more current this year. I subscribe to Checkpoint Research for daily updates and research of tax issues but no CPE for that.

Report on form 8971, which is to be filed within 30 days of filing form 706. If 706 is not required, then 8971 is not required.

IRS Warns Tax Professionals of New e-Services Email Scam WASHINGTON – The Internal Revenue Service today issued an urgent alert to tax professionals who use IRS e-services to beware of an email asking them to update their accounts and directing them to a fake website. The subject line for the fraudulent email is “Security Awareness for Tax Professionals.” The “From” line is “Your e-Services Team.” It has both an IRS logo and an e-services logo that hyperlinks to a URL verified as a phishing site. The spoofing site poses as an e-services registration page. The scammers are attempting to exploit current IRS efforts to strengthen the e-services authentication process and its ongoing communications with tax professionals about their accounts. Scammers are attempting to steal e-services usernames and passwords or additional personal data through a registration page. If e-services users have already clicked on the fake logo and provided their username and password, they should contact the e-services help desk to reset their accounts. If the same password is used for other accounts, these should be changed as well. As an extra precaution, users should perform a deep security scan on their computers, re-evaluate their security controls and be alert to any other signs of identity theft or data compromise. Tax professionals should always go directly to IRS.gov to access e-services and never click on any links provided in emails. Tax professionals who receive a suspicious email should send it as an attachment to [email protected] and then delete it. Recipients should not click on any links. The scammer email tells recipients that information was stolen from certain user accounts in 2015 from a state-sponsored actor. It says users are being asked to upgrade their e-service account to ensure protection of their information. It asks them to click on the login to access their accounts for security upgrade. The IRS is in the process of upgrading e-services security and has been in communication with tax professionals about updating their accounts. The IRS, state tax agencies and tax industry partners working together through the Security Summit have an awareness campaign underway called Protect Your Clients; Protect Yourself. The objective is to remind tax professionals they increasingly are the targets of identity thieves seeking ever larger amounts of taxpayer data to file fraudulent tax returns. Security Summit partners recommend tax professionals: Always use robust security software Use encryption software to protect taxpayer data Use strong passwords and change them often Learn to recognize phishing emails attempting to steal data Never click on links or download attachments from suspicious emails Beware of any communications claiming to be the IRS that are outside normal channels Review Protect Your Clients, Protect Yourself for various steps you can take to protect your customers’ information and your business.

Looks like my classroom at times. Fortunately not all the time. Working on my CE's right now and should be done before December. I try the summer thing but just can't bring myself to get it done. I keep on procrastinating though.

Thanks for posting this.

I get my CE as a secondary result of my attending seminars for the content. Already at 20 for this year. I just need 10 more for NAEA and I have three more seminars scheduled. Learning first, then I get all the CE I need.

Yes, the representation conference at Foxwoods. I know the lawyers. We have them on rotation for NY/CT-ATP also. And, I always keep their emails until I see if I can fit in a full day away. Almost registered this year, but think I'll see if there's still space in the Lisa Ihm courses in CT (she doesn't get out here every year). But my days are filling up with doctors' appointments. For instance, my teeth cleaning/check-up showed a cracked tooth so go back again Monday for them to start on a crown. Maintenance, maintenance, maintenance. Brain and body.

The MaSEA has dinner meetings most months except high summer; 2 hours for the most part. Land Grant University offers a great 16-hour course every year but I haven't made it the last couple for various reasons. There is a law group that runs an excellent representation conference (8hrs) every November in CT (Lion, this might be interesting to you). I have been trying to pick live courses that actually add something to my knowledgebase rather than just fill the hours. I've done online classes to fill specific gaps. I've found some where the downloadable pdf instructions are great and I can save those for reference. It's a rare year that I don't go well beyond the NAEA-required 30 hours. Think for 2015 I skated by with 34 or something.

My 14-16 hour December live seminar is huge on updates and advertises that topics can change due to new federal tax law changes, and the NY and CT hours are called Updates/Changes. The 2 hours in January is advertised as a Last Chance Update. Even if I have 100 CEs and no matter when my reporting year ends, I take those two courses. Getting the new stuff or newly reinterpreted stuff from live instructors with opportunities to ask questions and to interact with other preparers facing the same things is important to me as I go into a new tax season. I don't consider this fall as procrastinating at all.

I've got the 80 hours every 2 years, at least 20 each year and my certification period ends Aug. 31. I attend the CSTC summer symposium so that's about 24 right there, plus dinner meetings for 2 hours. This year my last minute was the CA regulatory review course. It's only required every 6 years, but a webinar is pretty easy to do. The pisser is that Nevada is the same requirement but on a calendar year. So I'll have to keep 2 sets of records, at least until I decide wheat her to keep active status on the CA license. And I've got to do a graded ethics course for the NV reciprocity license. After the move.... I'm packing up my files now. Or actually taking a break from packing up the files.